Grand Old Dame of the Guild honoured

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When Sheila Wyles first attended church in Perthshire, the First World War was still two years from completion.

It was in those dark days, with the Somme offensive raging, that then two-year-old Sheila attended Sunday school.

Sheila, who was born just a week after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, has never left the church, eventually joining the Guild at aged 16 and becoming a rock for the organisation for nearly nine decades.

Her dedication to the organisation was marked by the institution last week when she was presented with a special long service award.

The Rt Rev Susan Brown, moderator of the Church of Scotland, was on hand to present Sheila with a special certificate marking her achievement.

Incredibly, the 104-year-old, who was widowed 60 years ago, still lives in her own home.

And she was thrilled to receive the honour from the church.

“The Guild has been an irreplaceable part of my life and if I have been able to help people in any way, it has been my privilege,” she said.

“I am very proud to receive this long service certificate from the moderator, I never thought I would reach this milestone.

“I first went to Sunday school in Methven when I was two and when I was 14 my mother took me to Guild work party meetings.

“I have been involved with the Guild since then and have enjoyed it very much – it is a way of life and a big support in times of difficulty.

“I have been involved in so many different projects it has supported over the years and to be honest I do not like missing meetings.”

Sheila’s longevity has seen her dubbed ‘the Grand Old Dame of the Guild’. She last attended her Perth North church just a few weeks ago and was at the Guild Annual Gathering in Dundee’s Caird Hall in September.

Sheila, who trained in the domestic sciences, enjoys sewing and knitting.

After the Second World War, she helped make 3000 layettes – newborn baby clothes – that the Guild sent to mothers in Germany as part of the reconciliation process.

Sheila and Albert on their wedding day. Albert sadly died in the 1960s

She credits living such a long life to her strong Christian faith and supportive friends and family.

But it has not been without heartache and struggles.

Her father John Cameron died when she was seven months old, her husband Albert passed away in the early 1960s and their daughter Rachel died of Lupus in 2001 at the age of 51.

Not much was known about the systemic autoimmune disease when her daughter was diagnosed so Sheila threw herself into fundraising for research, raising thousands of pounds over the years.

When she turned 100 in 2014, she asked guests at her birthday party to donate money to St Thomas’ Lupus Trust and £1370 was raised.

In her younger days, she worked in children’s homes in East Lothian before taking a job with the council in Perthshire and she was instrumental in the introduction of school meals before she retired at the age of 65.

Sheila, who used to sing in the church choir and played the organ, said: “I do not think I would have survived without the church.

“I have had a very happy life. There have been ups and downs but more happy times than sad times. I have a lot to be thankful for.

“My faith has kept me going, along with my three families - my nieces, Morag and Kathleen, my Perth North church family and my Guild family.

“I would never have managed to live this long without assistance from other people.

“Everyone has been so helpful to allow me to be what I am.”

Janice Taylor, convener of Perth and Kinross Guilds Together, paid tribute to her close friend.

“I have known Sheila for 30 years and know what she has done in the Guild and the church,” said the Perth North Church elder.

“Her service to the Guild is second to none, she is an inspiration to everyone who knows her.

“Whatever difficulties and problems she has had in her life, her faith has shone though.

“When people visit Sheila, they leave feeling they have been cheered up instead of the other way round.

“We are so very proud that she is our oldest member in Scotland.”

Moderator, the Rt Rev Susan Brown added: “It was so lovely to meet Sheila at the Guild Annual Gathering and to chat about the big part faith and the church has played in her life.

“She is an amazing lady, a true inspiration and she has touched so many over so many years.”